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The Bible teaches much about hospitality. Think Abraham, Sarah, Lot. While much has changed since biblical times, hospitality has a place in our lives too. We have many opportunities, both inside and outside our homes, to extend hospitality. Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking, in her post “A Call To Practice Hospitality”, shares some wonderful insights into this subject: “God has beautifully designed each one of us to be His Ambassadors…his hands and feet to carry His love to those around us. Ultimately, hospitality is not limited to a space or time. It matters not how large your home is or how generous your table settings. It is rather a…

Have you ever stopped to wonder about the beauty and power of a name? Each name has a story. Perhaps you were named after a grandparent, your moms’ best friend, or a character in your dad’s favorite movie. Or perhaps you weren’t named after anyone at all. It could be that your name came after months of debating seemingly countless options or in a pressured moment of decision a day or two after you were born. Perhaps your name’s origin is largely unknown, its significance lost to you. Regardless of the details of the story, your name and its story are uniquely your own. The Sound Of One’s Name…

Isn’t it about time to bring storytelling back into our lives? A couple months ago I watched a free webinar on the lost art of storytelling and was inspired to increase the amount of storytelling that takes place in our home. It occurred to me that I could use the storytelling tactic to increase our family’s enthusiasm for family history work, improve our public speaking skills, and practice hospitality all at the same time. My husband and I immediately set to work telling our children stories about their ancestors. We pulled out the family histories and family photos, which had been packed safely away, and started going through them.…

Cookies and connection go way back. Throughout the generations, apron-covered grandmothers, relying on their superb homemaking skills, spent one afternoon after another baking cookies in their old-fashioned kitchens. Why? For the sole purpose of warming their loved-ones hearts with a plate of fresh cookies and a tall glass of cold milk. Sitting down at the table next to you, Grandmother would ask, “So how was your day?” Food binds us together in ways that little else can. In the Bible, Jesus was often found sharing food with others; filling stomachs and filling hearts was always part of His ministry. It’s been said that Jesus ate and drank His way through the…

Welcome to 31 Days to an Authentic Life! Authenticity. We crave it. We long for relationships that are authentic–genuine, real, true– but are often unsure how to go about creating them. How does one actually LIVE an authentic life on a day-to-day basis with the people in their lives? How can one create a close, abiding relationship with God? How can we connect with family members in powerful, lasting ways? How can we be strengthened through friendships? How might we connect with neighbors and strangers in convicting ways? How can we be true to ourselves? These questions and more will be addressed in my posts this month.…

Do you know your neighbors? A stroll to the park this evening with my children led me to cross paths with a neighbor I haven’t seen in a while. She and I visited on a park bench while our kids kicked a soccer ball back and forth on the grass behind us. We began with the typical chit-chat: “Beautiful weather!” “How’s school?” “How’s work?” and ended an hour later with a discussion about Bible Study Groups. She’s Catholic; I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We both enjoy studying the Bible at home and at church. I mentioned the devotional I had read that morning…

The Secret Of Hospitality Is Often Evasive. The planning of an event is always unpredictable, with unexpected twists and turns along the way, but, somehow, through means I don’t fully understand, the event always turns out perfectly. The planning of a recent Fall Potluck proved no different. Case in point. The glass jug of apple cider I was excited to serve during dinner fell and shattered on the sidewalk while being transported from the car to the house, leaving our front yard smelling like apple juice for the rest of the evening; I completely ruined the homemade ice cream (don’t ask!), although my children, never ones to let food go…

Each year our family throws a history celebration in our home where we display the things we have learned that year for friends and family to enjoy. This past year we learned about the Renaissance Period, so in September we threw a Renaissance Celebration. Previous years’ celebrations have included The Ancient Times, The Middle Ages, and The Pioneers (1800’s). Throwing a history celebration takes some planning, but it’s always worth it! We spent much of the year working on a Renaissance Unit Study, which contained many fun projects for the kids to work on. We displayed these projects on a large table for our guests (friends, family, and…

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